Territory



(No Model.)

B. P, GRITCHLOW BILL FILE.

No. 533.706. Patented Feb. 5,1895.

i, It

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN P. ORITOHLOW, OF OGDEN, UTAH TERRITORY, ASSIGNOR- OF THREE-FOURTHS TO EDWIN T. WOOLLEY, RUFUS A. GARNER, AND EDl/VARD L. LYMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,706, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed April 9, 1894. Serial No. 536,940. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LBENJAMIN P. Curren- LOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ogden, in the county of lVeber, Territory of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Files, of which the followingis a description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to letter tiles, and more particularly to that class of files which form a temporary binder for the papers filed, my object being to provide a construction dispensing with the use of springs and similar mechanism, and employing parts which are positively and directly operated by the user of the file, thus affording less opportu nity for the various parts to become disarranged or weakened, and to this end the invention consists of the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate m invention, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of'a file embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of the member for securing the papers in the tile. Fig. 3 is another View of said securing member showing a part of the same detached from the body thereof whereby a desired number of papers maybe removed without disturbing the others; and Fig. 4 is a detail showing the stop for the lock upon the securing member.

In the drawings, A represents a case to the. rear of which is hinged an end 0 having While it will, especially with easily broken papers, befound best to open the case so that the end 0 and cover D lie fiat, with certain classes of paper, as thin letter paper, there would be no danger of breaking because of falling over an edge of the case, while it will be found advantageous to raise the inner edge of the cover D to provide an inclined support or desk for those papers lying and being inspected-upon said cover, and for this reason the end 0 is made to fit and swing between the sides B of the case, while the cover D, which over most of its surface is wider than the opening of the case so that it may snugly close the same, is, for a short distance from the hinge attaching it to the end 0, narrowed to the width of said end, thus forming the shoulders at by reason of which it will be readily seen that the end and cover may be swung into the case until said shoulders rest against the edges b of the sides B, thus forming the desired inclined support for the papers.

Referring now to the securing member E, which forms the principal feature of the present invention, a plate F is fastened upon the cover D, from which plate project the retaining wires G, while hinged upon said plate is a second plate H carrying the retaining wires L. Wires G and L are bent toward each other to form an arch, as shown in Fig. 2, and that the point of juncture may be as smooth as possible to permit of the ready passage of the various papers along said wires, the wires G are provided at theirends with recesses, while the wires L are narrowed to enter these recesses, the outer surfaces of the sets of wires registering. It will thus be seen that by swinging the plate H, the connection between the wires at the top of the arch is broken and papers may he slipped over the ends of the wires freed in this way, while should it be desired to remove any paper, those papers above it may he slid upon the stationary wires G, and then the hinged plate moved, which will allow of the desired removal without the slightest disturbance or confusion in order of the other papers. Frequently papers upon the same file relate to various subjects, those referring to a kindred subject being placed together, and for this and other reasons it is sometimes desired to remove groups of the papers. That this may be readily accomplished, the hinged plate is detachably se cured to the plate F, preferably by means of the removable hinge pin M, and in this way.

eyelets f. wires G, the eyelets being firmly clamped to hold the wires in position, and each wire after passing through its eyelet, extends for a short distance a little above and parallel with the plate F, this being shown at g. The lower portions of the wires thus form guides, and uponthem'slides a plate N having its sides bent around the wires while projecting from it is a lip n, which when the wires are in their arched position and the plate slipped along the guides g, overlaps and thus secures the hinged plate H. Suitable means as the cars 'n are provided for moving the locking plate,

while, the ends of the. wires G being connected as by wire g, and the sides of the locking plate extending sufficiently around the projecting portions of the wires, the plate is prevented from slipping'ofl the guides and being lost because of the connectionbetweenthe projecting portions g lying in the path of the bent edges of the plate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A letter file comprising a case,one of the walls of which is hinged upon the bottom, a plate hinged to said wall, a securing member for the papers to be filed carried by said plate, and means for limiting the movement of the hinged wall; substantially as described.

2. A letter file comprising a case open at one end, a wall hinged to swing in said open end, a plate hinged upon said wall,,a securing member for the papers to be filed carried by said plate, and stops upon said plate; substantially as described.

3. A letter file comprising a case, one of the walls of which is hinged upon" the bottom to portion f upon the ends of which are formed Through these eyelets pass the above said base plate to form a guide, a second plate movable upon said base plate, a retaining wire upon said movable plate, said retainingwires being so placed as to form a continuation one of the other, and a slide upon said guide adapted to fit'upon and lock the movableplate; substantially as described. 7 5. A letter file comprising a base plate, one end of said plate being bent up to form an angle therewithand the sides of said bent up portion being formed into eyes, retaining wires passing through said eyes, said retaining wires extending at their low ends for a distance slightly above said base plate, a second plate movable upon said baseplate, retaining wires upon said movable plate, said retaining wires being so placed with relation to theiretaining wires upon the base plate that the two sets of wires form a continuation one of the other, and a slide adapted to fit upon and lock' the movable plate, said slide comprising a plate fitting upon the lower ex tending portions of the retaining wires upon the base plate; substantially as described.

6. A letter file comprising a base plate, one end of said plate being bent up to form an angle therewith and the sides of said bent up portion being formed into eyes, retaining wires passing through said eyes, said retaining wires extending at their lower ends for a distance slightly above said base plate, a second plate movable upon said base plate, retaining wires upon said movable plate, said retaining wires being so placed with relation to theretaining wiresupon the base plate that the two sets of wires form a continuation one of the other, and a slide adapted to fit upon and, lock the movable plate, said slide comprising a plate fitting upon the lower extending portions of the retaining wires upon the base plate, the sides of said slide plate being bent around said wires; substantially as described.

7. A letter file comprising a base plate, one. end of said plate being bent up to form an angle therewith and the sides of said bentup portionbeing formed into eyes, retaining wires passing through said eyes, said retaining wires extending below said eyes parallel with and slightly above said plate, a second plate, a hinge between said base plate and said second plate, said hinge having a removable hinge pin, retaining wires upon said hinged plate, said retaining wires being so placed with relation to the retaining wires upon the base plate that the two sets of wires form a continuation one of the other, and a slide adaptedztofit upon and lock the hinged plate, said slide comprising a plate fitting upon the lower extending portions of the retaining wires upon the base plate, the sides of said slide plate being bent around said wires; substantially as described.

8. Aletter file comprising a base plate, a re taining wire upon said base plate, a second plate movable upon said base p1ate,u retainin the path of the eyes; substantially as deing wire upon said movable plate, said rescribed. I0. taining wires being so placed as to form a con- In testimony whereof I affix my signature tinuation one of the other, guides upon said in presence of two witnesses. base plates, a slide upon said guides adapted BENJAMIN P. CRITCHLOlV. to fit upon and lock the movable plate, said Witnesses: slide being held upon the guides by means of t HENRY VESEHOFF, eyes, and a. connection between said guides CHARLES D. JOHNSON. 

